Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) Given Average Recommendation of "Hold" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Baxter International Inc. received a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from ten analysts, with an average 12-month price target of $30.11.
• The company reported $0.59 EPS in the last quarter, missing estimates, and had a negative net margin of 1.42%.
• Baxter International declared a quarterly dividend of $0.17, with an annualized yield of 2.8%, despite a negative dividend payout ratio of -226.67%.

Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average rating of "Hold" from the ten ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have given a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $30.1111.

Several research analysts have commented on BAX shares. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $28.00 to $27.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $35.00 to $24.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $33.00 to $24.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Baxter International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 2nd.

Baxter International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BAX traded up $0.32 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $24.72. 4,048,480 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,543,281. Baxter International has a 12 month low of $21.33 and a 12 month high of $40.49. The firm has a market cap of $12.69 billion, a PE ratio of -82.38, a PEG ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.59. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $26.91 and a 200-day moving average price of $29.95. The company has a current ratio of 2.30, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.60 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.82 billion. Baxter International had a positive return on equity of 16.96% and a negative net margin of 1.42%.The company's revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.68 EPS. Baxter International has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 0.580-0.620 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 2.420-2.520 EPS. Research analysts expect that Baxter International will post 2.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Baxter International Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 29th will be issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 29th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Baxter International's dividend payout ratio is -226.67%.

Institutional Trading of Baxter International

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Dodge & Cox boosted its position in Baxter International by 1.3% during the second quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 52,121,620 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,578,243,000 after acquiring an additional 662,695 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Baxter International by 2.6% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,882,960 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $388,416,000 after acquiring an additional 326,652 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in Baxter International by 1.3% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 7,638,629 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $231,304,000 after acquiring an additional 97,687 shares during the last quarter. Sound Shore Management Inc. CT boosted its position in Baxter International by 13.7% during the first quarter. Sound Shore Management Inc. CT now owns 2,825,902 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $96,731,000 after acquiring an additional 341,321 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its position in Baxter International by 13.4% during the second quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 1,900,828 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $57,568,000 after acquiring an additional 224,804 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.19% of the company's stock.

Baxter International Company Profile

Baxter International Inc, through its subsidiaries, develops and provides a portfolio of healthcare products worldwide. The company operates through four segments: Medical Products and Therapies, Healthcare Systems and Technologies, Pharmaceuticals, and Kidney Care. The company offers sterile intravenous (IV) solutions; infusion systems and devices; parenteral nutrition therapies; generic injectable pharmaceuticals; surgical hemostat and sealant products, advanced surgical equipment; smart bed systems; patient monitoring and diagnostic technologies; and respiratory health devices, as well as advanced equipment for the surgical space, including surgical video technologies, precision positioning devices, and other accessories.